September 2013;

On the 25th of September a group of children from 5th and 6th class went to Farran Wood for an orienteering workshop.

In the weeks leading up to that, the children had been learning all about orienteering during P.E. time while the rest of the class were training for Sciath na Scol. They started with simple maps and plans and went on to use a map of the school grounds. After some weeks the pupils were able to use the school map to go out and find specific markers which were located in various places around the school grounds. When they found the markers they had to record what thy found on their control card.

In Farran Wood the group met Seán Cotter who told them all about orienteering and explained how to read the symbols and colours on their maps. He then guided them around the first of their two routes in Farran Wood. The group were very successful in following their maps (with maybe one little wrong turn!!). Finally they headed off in pairs to complete the second route without his help. Everybody returned safely and Padraig Kelleher and Kevin O’Regan returned with the fastest time of 17 minutes and a fully correct control card. Well done to all our orienteerers!!.

(From the September’s school newsletter)

October 2013;

Sciath Na Scol

On the 13th of September the Farran Sciath na Scol team took on Ballinora in Éire Óg. We got off to a shaky start with scores coming from both sides. At half time the score was 1-3 to 0-2 to Ballinora. In the second half we got off to a slow start again. With 5 minutes to go we got a free. Our free taker pumped the ball in to the square. One of the forwards caught it just before the line and kicked it into the back of the net. The referee disallowed the goal because the ball had gone across the line already. The final whistle blew, we were disappointed.

Our next match was on Friday the 20th of September against C.B.C. and Ballyphehane. First up we played C.B.C. We got off to a great start with scores coming from most players which gave us a big advantage in the second half. The final score was 4-7 to 1-0. We were delighted. Next we faced Ballyphehane. They were much bigger but we knew we were more skilful. The final score was 4-5 to 0-2. We were very confident for our next match against Passage. We rushed onto the pitch in spite of the rain. We did our regular warm-up and started the match. Both teams had a disadvantage as the ground was very slippery, but that didn’t stop Farran from leading at half time. The score in the end was 4-6 to 0-4. After that we played Macroom which were much tougher than any other we had played before. They beat us well with a score of 2-6 to 0-5. We were very disappointed knowing that we were out of the competition.

However we were told we were to play a match against Bandon to decide 3rd place. We were very confident about this game. There was a great display of football from both sides and the score in the end was 3-8 to 0-5. We had finished the season well. We would like to thank Paddy O’Sullivan and Ms. Murphy for their time training us.

F.A.C.T.

F.A.C.T. also known as Farran Action Community Team, was established recently. It is a group of volunteers hoping to make Farran a more interesting place. They are hoping to revitalise Farran village because we have lost the shop and post office. They asked the children in our school and the play school to design a crest for the organisation. Thy will be announcing the winner of the art competition at a Halloween party they are holding on Friday the 25th at the National Rowing Centre. Thy are also trying to make a playground. Thy are hoping to hold a Christmas fair near Christmas.

Enrolment Mass;

October 3rd was a special day for the 2nd and 6th class pupils. Their Enrolment Mass was on in the church. With 12 pupils from 2nd class and 19 from 6th it was packed. The children were preparing all week. In 6th class we had the first reading by Sophie McCarthy, she was excellent, and then Ellen Brady and Cerri O’Sullivan took to the altar with two lovely singing voices. The prayers of the faithful were read by Rebecca Kearns, Luke Downey, Abbie Casey and Éabha Healy. They were fantastic. The gifts were brought up by Joseph Cooper, Josh Cotter, Sarah Power, Mark McSweeney, Shannon Niesen and Oran Downey. They were great. Then we sang a hymn at the end. The mass was a great success. Thanks to Fr. Ó hÍcí for helping us in the preparation.

November 2013;

Pen Pals.

The children in 3rd and 4th class have started a really exciting project. The I to I project started about a month ago. The Project is called I to I to represent the names of the two countries involved, Ireland and India. The project is all about encouraging children in Ireland to find out more about what life is like for children their own age in India.

Their pen pals are from Goa. The school is called Regina Mundi High School. Their pen pals are in 5th and 6th classes. The first letter to India was sent last Friday. The pupils told the children in India about their hobbies, their families, their pets and the school day. 3rd and 4th class really enjoyed it. Their favourite part though, was receiving the letters from India. The children have similar hobbies. The boys liked football and cricket and the girls liked cooking and cycling. The girls are writing to girls and the boys are writing to boys. There are 29 pen pal pairs and the pupils are really looking forward to receiving their next letter.

The children in India will be getting their summer holidays in April so the letters will continue until then. We imagine their summer holidays will be very different to ours and the pupils in Mr. Lehane’s class will be looking forward to hearing all about it.

Art Competitions;

Ballincollig Credit Union recently held an art competition called “Gotta Lotta Colour”. The students were asked to create a picture full of colour. Children in all classes from 1st to 6th took part in the competition. A few weeks after the closing date we were delighted to hear that the school had won not one but two prizes11 Kevin came first in the under 7?s category and Ciara came second in the 11 – 13 category. On Tuesday November 19th Kevin and Ciara headed off to Ballincollig to collect their prizes. Well done to them and everyone who gave it a shot.

The pupils are also participating in another art competition called “Doodle for Google”. Competitors must create a logo for the Google home-page using the theme of adventure. Good luck to everyone entering.

Young Archaeolggists:

During the week the Senior Infants carried out an excavation. The children had decided to find out what it would be like to be archaeologists and to dig to find old treasures hidden away for many years.They began by digging in the sand, and they found lots of interesting objects. They collected them so they could examine them afterwards. They dug with their spades and brushes. When they had discovered all the objects and examined them they knew it had to be a birthday party that was on long ago. They worked that out when they dug up the balloons, the party bags, the sweet wrappers and cards. They all enjoyed it immensely.

December 2013;

Christmas Pageant

On the 10th of December the whole school took part in the annual Christmas pageant in the church. There were lots of different roles as well as a choir and lovely songs from the Junior and Senior Infants. The story of the first Christmas was told by the Evangelists with the help of Moses, Abraham, Sarah, John the Baptist and many more. There were some soloists from the choir and they sang beautifully. Everyone took part in preparing the costumes. We were preparing for two months and everyone learned their parts really well. We thought that we would be preparing for ages but it went really fast and we think that we really pulled it off. Thanks so much to all the teachers and staff for all their help in preparing the pageant. Well done also to everyone who took part in the play. We all loved it and we think the parents enjoyed it. Thank you very much for turning up and supporting Farran school.

Lego Workshop

On the 28th of November 1st to 6th classes participated in a lego workshop in Farran hall. The children in 1st and 2nd class built a lion from lego and pupils from 3rd to 6th built lego land yachts. 1st and 2nd worked in threes to build a lion. They made it move and make noises. They thought that making the noises was great fun because they used a USB key that was connected to the computer. They really enjoyed it.

The older pupils worked in pairs to build a land yacht. First they followed an instructions booklet to build the yacht and when they were ready they tested the yachts with a fan to see how far they went. Afterwards they modified the yachts by changing the wheels or sails. The first yachts travelled about one metre but after a few improvements some went as far as five metres!

Everyone had great fun and they would love to do it again. Thanks to Jill Daly and the Parents Association for organising the workshop and to Lifetime Lab for coming to Farran.

Rudolph the Musical

On the 3rd of December 2013 Junior and Senior Infants and First and Second classes went to the Briery Gap in Macroom. They took a bus but not just any bus, it was a double-decker!! They got to the theatre and settled into their seats for the show. The children thought the background of a winter wonderland was magical. They also thought the goblins were really funny because they came out and talked to the crowd. The fairy was also very popular, her name was Tada Tomorrow. The actors sang lots of songs and the boys and girls really liked “What makes you beautiful” by One Direction and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”. They all enjoyed the day, and will have lots of lovely memories!

January/February 2014;

Swimming;

The children in 3rd and 4th class have been learning to swim this term. They started their lessons on the 9th of January and they continued for 6 weeks in the Castle Hotel Macroom. They travelled from school to the hotel by bus. They have learned how to do the breast stroke, front stroke and back stroke. They also learned how to dive properly. They really enjoyed it. The swimming teachers names are Denise, Mackey, Stephanie, John and Adam, they are all brilliant teachers. The children have really enjoyed their time in the swimming pool and they would like to give a big thank you to all the people who organised it and their swimming teachers who will make them pro swimmers! They would also like to thank the parents who gave up their time to travel on the bus and accompany the children to the swimming.

Knitting;

We started knitting on the 10th of January. Last year we knitted a big blanket and pillows, but this year we are planning on knitting two blankets for the children in Nead na Coille. We are knitting a quilt for each classroom’s quiet corner. If we have enough squares we would like to make a third blanket for the “Ladies Club” who support ladies with cancer. We got help from volunteers from the community. Their names are Kitty, Elmarie, Agnes, Rose, Joan and Ann. They were very kind to take the time to help us every Friday for six weeks. The power cut caused our final day to be cancelled but we are hoping to re-schedule as we would be very disappointed to miss out on our last day. We would also like to give a special thank you to Ms. Bradley who is crocheting all the squares together to make our blankets. We hope everyone will be happy with our blankets and we are very thankful to everyone who took part. We can’t wait for next year!

Grandparents Mass;

On the 30th of January a mass was held in Farran church. It was a very special mass to show the children’s appreciation for their grandparents. Teachers, pupils, parents and grandparents were all invited to this mass. The 3rd class to 6th class formed a brilliant choir together, and made the mass even more enjoyable. There were readings, prayers of the faithful, gifts and reflections which the children and grandparents both took part in. After the mass Fr. Ó hÍcí kindly gave the children a few moments to have a word with their grandparents. It was a very successful mass and we are sure it was enjoyed by both children and their grandparents. We thank the grandparents very much for their attendance. We would love to do it again next year….

March 2014;

High Scores at Scór;

Once again 5th and 6th class entered Scór na bPáistí. Scór na bPáistí is a G.A.A. cultural competition which is held in various places each year. Just after our Christmas holidays children from 5th and 6th class auditioned for places in Scór. Each child auditioned for something that suited their talents. After the auditions the children got stuck in. They were practicing non-stop. After a long wait Saturday the 8th finally came. There was a lot of hustle and bustle as parents, children and teachers rushed around doing last minute jobs in Coachford hall. It finished before we realised it had begun. We listened carefully for our names to be called out. We stood there in amusement as we brought six out of nine acts through! We were delighted! The next step was preparing for the final. Mrs. Bradley kindly crocheted some Éire Óg bands for the dancers and the ballad group to wear on our new team skirts. Just before the finals, we organised for our acts to participate in the Liam Forde concert. It was now just two days away from the Muskerry final!!When the day finally arrived, we were so nervous but at the same time we couldn’t wait to show everyone what we had been practicing for the previous month. The show took six hours but the results were finally in. We had won nine trophies and came second overall. We were delighted.

Confirmation;

On the 10th of March, the children of sixth class in Ovens and Farran made their Confirmation. There were 18 children from Farran and 41 from Ovens, so 59 altogether. There were 3 practicing days. One music day in Ovens and two days in Farran practicing everything. Bishop O’Donoghue came and visited both classes in their schools before the Confirmation. They were blessed on the day with beautiful weather. The mass started at 10.30 a.m. and went on for 2 and a half hours. It was a lovely mass, with the confirmation children bringing gifts, singing and reading, and music from Ms. Kelliher and Órla and Ciara Beechinor. The Bishop had a little chat with each child while he was confirming them and that was very special for them. After the ceremony the Parents’ Association had organised a reception in Farran hall. They provided tea, coffee, sandwiches, cakes, minerals etc. …they even had a Confirmation cake with each child’s name on it. It was a lovely chance for everyone to meet and chat. The following day Farran had their fashion show in Farran hall in front of their whole school. The other children really enjoyed admiring their lovely outfits. After that, their parents brought them to Mahon Point for a shopping day! It was a wonderful few days.

Buckle Up!

A couple of weeks ago our school received some very exciting news, the pupils in 1st class had come in the top 5 in the whole country in an R.S.A. Buckle Up Sheriff competition for their poster about seatbelt safety. They had to work together to make a poster and send it in. On the poster they drew a seatbelt with everybody’s hand print on it. When they heard the news that they had come in the top 5 they were all delighted. Just to top it off they also won a splendid prize of a trip to Dublin and received a cheque for €500 for the school! On March 5th the children were all ready at the school gates waiting for the bus that was to come at 7.30 a.m. Ms. Shiels, Ms O’Connell, Nuala (Darragh’s mum) and Jed the bus driver accompanied them on the trip. First stop Dublin castle. When they entered the castle the Seatbelt Sheriff was there to greet them wearing a red sheriff’s bandana and a yellow sheriff’s hat. He also had a bandana and hat for each of the 1st class pupils. He even wished Adam a happy Birthday. They got snacks and pictures to colour as they waited. They got balloon animals made for them. Then they watched a magician who was very funny because he didn’t know any magic, but he was good at fighting with his skunk, Sally!Dinner was served before the highlight of the day, dessert! The time came to announce the winners. They were brought up on stage and presented with their prize. They also took a class picture. They were very happy. When it was time to go they said good-bye to the Seatbelt Sheriff and hopped back on the bus for their next stop, Dublin Zoo. When they arrived they were split into three different groups and whizzed around the zoo. They saw elephants, tigers, crocodiles, turtles, wolves and loads more. After an hour spent with the animals they journeyed back to the bus. They arrived home at 8.45 p.m. They were very tired but very satisfied by it all. What a day! They would love to do it again!